As portrayed by Jodie Foster in The Mauritanian, Nancy Hollander is a character that fits the adjective “tough” to a T. She is a lawyer who firmly believes in the United States’ legal procedure, her principals driving her to provide even suspects of terrorism with the representation that they are promised in the Constitution, and she develops a thick skin because of the intense public backlash that comes as a result.
It’s a key hallmark of the performance by the Academy Award winner, and as I recently learned during an interview with her, it was something that she actually pushed for more of in the script when she was first offered the part.